The loud thud of something heavy broke through the haze of sleep. Riley rolled right into a warm, decidedly male body next to him. Riley blinked to clear the sleep out of his eyes, smiling as the most wonderful sight encompassed his vision.
“Morning, sexy,” Riley whispered to the waking Nick. Riley dropped a kiss on Nick’s nose at the adorable look of utter confusion on his face.
“What… Riley?” The fog of sleep still lay heavy on Nick as he blinked slowly, then stretched. Riley’s gaze traveled down the long, languid lines of Nick’s body, at least until Nick’s darting, worried gaze registered. “Riley, where are we?”
Riley’s brow furrowed, and for the first time, he looked around. They were in little more than a plain, white cube with a mattress against one wall. The room, and its implications, sent a shiver down his spine. No sheets or pillows provided comfort for them, no windows let in the sun. Nick wore the sleep pants Riley vaguely remembered him slipping into before they both fell asleep. He glanced down to find himself in a pair of sweats he failed to remember putting on. What on Earth was going on? And where the fuck were they? How the hell did they get here? Nick curled into him, eyes wide as his gaze darted around. Riley’s arm went around him, pulling him tight to his chest. Nick trembled against him.
He dropped a kiss on Nick’s head and disentangled himself to crawl off the mattress. As much as he wanted to stay curled up with the man, his cop instincts screamed at him. He walked the room, eyes seeking, searching, hoping to find clues or flaws or anything. The room remained stubbornly bare though. He made his way to the door and ran his hands over it. The cold of solid steel, painted white to blend with the rest of the room, met his touch. No handle on the inside meant they were trapped. A shuffle behind him indicated that Nick sat up, but Riley didn’t bother checking to be sure. He needed to get Nick to safety.
“Um, Riley?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?” he responded, his focus still on the door and trying to figure out how to get them out. A soft chuckle made him glance over his shoulder. Damn, he found a sleep-rumpled Nick incredibly distracting. Forcing his gaze away from the temptation across the room, Riley went back to running his hands slowly over every inch of the door.
“You know, I generally dislike endearments, but somehow, I like hearing that one from you.” He gave a small snort. “I probably shouldn’t be feeling happy at all, under the circumstances.” Silence hung between them for a moment, heavy with tension, worry, and fear. “You don’t think this is my fault, do you?”
Riley stopped and turned. He couldn’t believe Nick would even think like that. Nick sat on the mattress with his knees pulled up and his arms wrapped around his legs. His worried gaze met Riley’s.
“Is this…? Could this be…?” Nick failed to finish the sentence, but Riley knew where his mind went. He crossed to him in a few long strides, pulled him up from the mattress, and gathered him in his arms, holding him close as he trembled.
“Listen to me, sweetheart, this isn’t your fault.” He stroked a hand across Nick’s back. They sat for a while until Nick straightened and tried to pull out of Riley’s embrace.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” Nick turned his face away, but Riley grabbed his chin and pulled his gaze back.
“It’s not exactly a normal situation. We went to sleep in your place and woke up here, apparently kidnapped in our sleep. I think—”
Bang! Whatever else Riley wanted to say got lost as the steel door slammed into the wall. The man who strolled through the door appeared ordinary, average, and Riley suddenly understood how he escaped notice for so long. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, average build—nothing at all stood out about him. The man’s gaze took in the scene before him and his lips curled into a sneer.
“Disgusting,” he snarled as he entered the room and began circling them.
Riley turned, not willing to let the man out of his sight. The man’s hand whipped out, latching onto Nick and yanking hard. Riley’s hold tightened for a moment before being yanked away from Nick. His arms were pulled to a sharp angle, stretched to their limit. Hands held him tight enough to leave bruises. He glanced over his shoulder to find two gorilla-like goons holding him.
Riley lunged forward, only to be yanked back. He fought against the hold, but they tightened their grip. The other man yanked Nick to his side, a tight hand at his neck holding him in place. Nick’s wide eyes silently pleaded with Riley.
“I knew we should have killed you the moment you walked in the door,” the man sneered, the rough gravel of his voice grating on Riley’s nerves.
Despite the grip holding him firm, Riley lunged again, trying to draw the guy’s attention away from Nick.
The pungent aroma of menthol cigarettes invaded his nose before he got yanked back again. “You’ve been nothing but trouble. Here’s how it’s gonna go. You’re gonna go back to the cops and recant your story. Do whatever it takes to get them to pull those sketches and tell everyone we aren’t the guys.”
Nick swallowed hard, but Riley watched steel come into his eyes. “Why the fuck would I do that? You’re just gonna kill me anyway.”
A surge of pride went through Riley when Nick stood his ground, even as he willed Nick to hold his tongue. A grin split the man’s face, sending chills down Riley’s spine. The man backhanded Nick hard, causing Nick’s head to snap to the side, making Riley growl. He fought against the hold that the two goons kept on him. Fury blazed through him, and Riley no longer cared about anything but strangling the guy. A thin stream of blood trickled down Nick’s chin from his split lip. Riley would be damned before he let that go. Nick glared at the man who hit him.
“I’ll make this simple…” The man got in Nick’s face. “You have twenty-four hours to change your mind, or I kill your man slowly, inch-by-inch, one strip at a time, while you watch every bloody moment.”
The man turned on his heel and headed to the door. He glanced back over his shoulder at Nick. “And just to help you decide a little faster, every two hours you go without agreeing, someone will be back to… persuade you. Let’s go, boys.”
The giants tossed Riley backward, sending him stumbling and banging against the wall. He winced and crumpled to the floor as pain shot through him.
Nick flew to his side, kneeling on the cold, concrete floor. “Are you okay?”
Riley captured the hands that frantically ran over his body and brought them to his mouth before he kissed them.
“I’m fine, sweetheart,” Riley replied as he sat up.
Nick sighed and leaned into him. They stayed wrapped around each other for a while until Riley felt Nick fall into sleep. He gently moved Nick to the mattress and continued his interrupted search of the room.
His search proved fruitless. The room was as solid as possible with concrete walls and floor and a ceiling far higher than they could hope reach. Riley sank to the floor with a heavy sigh, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. He needed to figure out how to get them out of this some other way.
Being locked inside left him nothing to do but think. Unfortunately, his mind went straight to Nick. More specifically, Nick and Gio. He remembered the talks they had while Nick recovered. While Nick’s heart had never been in it when he dated Gio, Riley still wondered if Nick was really okay with the way everything ended. Nick didn’t know the whole story. Should he tell Nick what happened when he went to check on Gio at the hospital?
Still, even knowing the things he did, Riley worried about the feelings between Gio and Nick. The way Gio acted, all over Nick half the time, and Nick didn’t seem to mind the weekend he caught them in the hall. Was there really nothing between them? Had Nick jumped at a chance to indulge a fantasy when someone better courted him all along? Would he be better off with Gio?
Riley swallowed hard as he recalled his behavior the night before. Nick didn’t seem to mind in the heat of the moment, but really, what guy wanted to be manhandled by his lover? Certainly, Riley never enjoyed being on the receiving end with Brian. No, Nick deserved someone who would take their time, love him right, not some Neanderthal. Shit, this whole thing had been a bad idea.
A rustle from the bed made Riley glance over to find Nick stretching like a cat. His cock sat up and paid close attention to the long lines and sexy sleepiness of the man as he blinked to clear his eyes. Nick’s tongue flicked out to run across his lips. Riley wanted to capture that tongue in his mouth.
“You are thinking too loud,” Nick murmured, flopping over onto his side and propping his head on his elbow, a lock of rich, brown hair falling into his eyes. “It woke me up.”
Riley chuckled. “I’m sorry?”
“What are you thinking so loudly about?” Nick asked, his eyes half-closed and voice still rough with sleep. Riley made a small choked noise he hoped Nick missed, but no such luck. Nick seemed to come fully awake in seconds. He sat up, crossed his legs, and leaned forward on his arms, scrunching his eyebrows as he pierced Riley with a worried gaze.
“Riley?” he asked. “What is it?”
Riley swallowed, his eyes traveling along the floor, the wall, the ceiling, anywhere but at Nick.
“I was thinking about you… and Gio,” he finished flatly.
Nick cocked his head to the side, lifting his eyebrows.
Riley’s head fell back against the wall with a thud. “It’s just, are you really okay with what happened? I mean, at the end?” His worries wouldn’t go away and there was little else to do.
Nick sighed and leaned back against the wall. “I don’t know, honestly. I’ve kind of been avoiding Gio. I probably need to talk to him, just to be sure he’s okay. I mean, he seemed like he was getting really attached to the idea of us, you know?”
Riley groaned but decided to go with his gut. “Um, I don’t actually think he was.”
Nick sat up straighter. “Why do you say that?”
“Remember when I went to check on him?” Nick nodded, and Riley continued, “Well, I found him crying in the bathroom, but it had nothing to do with you.”
“Then… who? What?”
Riley shouldn’t find Nick’s total confusion adorable, but he did.
“I don’t know who, but he did tell me,” Riley grimaced as he met Nick’s eyes, “that he realized you were using him.”
“He knew?” Nick’s eyes widened at the confession.
“Um, yeah. And apparently, the using was mutual. I don’t really know anything, but from what I gathered, he was trying to get over someone, too. I guess something happened after he left the room. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to talk about it.”
“So, we were both… using each other? Huh.” Nick sat speechless. Riley appeared unable to shut up though, now that he let his wandering, doubting brain be in control of his mouth.
“You know, Nick, um… You seemed to be, kind of, um… A little, uh… Shit!” Riley paused to calm his mind, take a breath, and get his words out. “You were all over him that day in the hall! Are you sure you did the right thing?” Riley whispered at the end, a tremble revealing his fear of Nick’s answer.
“What the!” Nick came off the bed in one swift motion. “Riley Jacobs, you fuckin’ idiot!” He stalked across the floor, closing the distance between them in a few strides. Riley held his breath, unsure what was happening when Nick squatted in front of him. Reaching out, Nick took hold of his face, forcing him to meet his gaze.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” Nick asked. “This isn’t just an interest. It’s not some innocent schoolboy crush, or an attraction, or lust, or warm, fuzzy feelings. Damn it, Riley, I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for a couple of months. I didn’t think it possible for you to feel the same, though. So, when you were suddenly there, saying things I’ve dreamed about you saying, how could I not jump at that chance? How could I not tell the man I love, yes? And just in case you missed it, I’ll say it again. Riley Jacobs, I love you.” Nick was breathing heavily when he finished. Riley just stared for a moment, shocked speechless. Joy flooded his body. Nick finally let go of his face and sank the rest of the way to the floor. “You don’t… You don’t have to say it back. I don’t expect you to feel the same.”
Riley grabbed Nick’s hand, holding it tightly. “Nick, sweetheart, I think I’m not the only one who didn’t get it.” He chuckled. “Drew tried to tell me. Gio told me he knew the moment we met. I just didn’t want to admit it.” Riley drew Nick into his arms. “I love you, Nick.” He punctuated the statement with a soft kiss.
Nick sighed and leaned against him, one hand running in lazy circles on Riley’s chest. “Someday, I’m going to find the man that made you doubt yourself and kick his balls in.”
Riley chuckled at the fierceness in Nick’s voice.
“We are some kind of fucked-up, you know that? Who chooses to talk about this shit when they’re being threatened?” Nick murmured, half to himself.
“That’s okay, sweetheart,” Riley chuckled, “at least we’re fucked-up together.”
Nick grimaced. “Not for long. What are we going to do? I won’t do what they ask.”
Fortunately, Riley’s brain kept working on their problem in the background while they talked. “I think I have an idea. It’s not a great one, but the other option is one you won’t like.”
“Tell me anyway.”
Riley dropped a kiss on the top of Nick’s head. “There’s a lot of ifs in the plan. I can’t take all three of them, so we need to separate them. The door’s solid, made of metal. I bet it would knock out at least one of them. With luck, I’ll get the door closed on the other, but then we’re locked in. Not sure what to do about that. Two of them won’t be ideal, but if they come in unarmed, I can do it. If there’s a gun though,” Riley shrugged, “That would be an issue. Then we have to get out.”
“We can handle two, even with a gun.” Nick sat up, though he kept his hand on Riley’s chest.
“We? Sweetheart, you work in a lab.” Riley’s brow scrunched up. He didn’t want Nick getting hurt.
Nick grinned. “True, but my dad owns a security company. Remember? I’ve been through a lot of the training his employees do. Who do you think my brothers practiced on? I handle guns regularly, and I’m faster at disarming someone than either of my brothers.”
Knowing Nick could hold his own in the upcoming fight helped Riley breathe easier. “Have I mentioned you’re perfect? Because you are.”
Nick shook his head. “The plan I won’t like?”
Riley straightened, maneuvering so he faced Nick, and took the other man’s face in his hands. “If it goes bad like he doesn’t come alone, we can’t disarm him, or they all get in here or whatever, at the first hint that things have gone wrong, I want you to run. Out the door, find a phone. But you make sure, absolutely sure, that you close that damn door behind you, especially if they all make it in here.”
Nick froze. His body tensed beneath Riley’s hands, breathing stopped, eyes wide, and Riley waited for the response he knew he would get.
In a blast of sudden motion, Nick’s hand flew out to strike Riley in the chest, as his face twisted in anger. “How dare you! The hell I’ll lock you in here like that. I don’t fucking think so!”
“Please sweetheart,” Riley begged. He needed to know that no matter what Nick would get out alive. Nick’s face remained an immovable mask though.
“No.”
Riley didn’t push his luck. Instead, he focused on ironing the kinks out of their plan. It came together easily, Nick’s logical brain working in their favor. Neither knew what their captors planned, and with luck, they never would. But they came up with a solid plan that covered many conditions.
Very little noise made it into the room as the time seemed to fly by. The soft thud of footsteps and murmur of voices made them both sit up straighter. Nick met Riley’s gaze, his nervousness on clear display.
If this didn’t work, Nick didn’t like Riley’s other plan, especially since it involved Nick being the only one walking away. Riley stood, drawing Nick up with him, and kissing him hard. Nick moaned and melted into him. It took every ounce of self-control for Riley to pull away.
Without a word, Nick stepped backward, holding onto Riley’s hand as long as possible, finally letting go only when both their arms were stretched to the limit, and he stood centered in front of the door. Riley moved to stand next to the door, so he would be behind it when it opened. Being so close to the door, he heared the men talking.
“Stan, go call Alan. He’ll want to take part in this.”
“Sure boss.”
Riley sent a silent thank you out to the universe as footsteps gradually faded into the distance. Moments later, the door flew open, and the mouthpiece from earlier strode in, pistol in hand. Riley didn’t wait for him to clear the door.
Grabbing the edge of the door, he slammed it into the goon mere steps behind the mouthpiece. A dull thump accompanied the crunch of bone, and the goon dropped to a heap on the ground. Moving quickly, Riley closed the distance to the mouthpiece as Nick disarmed the man faster than most cops he knew.
Menthol man lunged for Nick, but Riley caught his arm and jerked him back. He spun, snarling at Riley. “Fucking idiots. Think you’re so damn smart.” Riley didn’t bother responding, instead going on the offensive. They would have only a few short moments to incapacitate this guy.
As he grappled with menthol man, Riley did a quick check to ensure Nick remained unharmed. Shock ran through him as he saw Nick aiming the gun in their direction, but he managed to contain any outward signs. Riley twisted and sent a fist into menthol man’s gut.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed in the small room as menthol man crumpled to the ground with a scream. Blood poured out of his leg, welling up between fingers clutched tight to the wound. Riley ran the few short steps to where the goon was still out like a light, grabbed his arms, and hauled him clear of the door as Nick ran past him. Slamming the door behind him to close in their captors, he joined Nick behind the boxes near their prison. Riley leaned over and stole a kiss as Nick passed the gun off. Neither of them spoke.
Riley peered around the boxes, checking the room beyond. They were in some kind of warehouse which meant plenty of cover. The amount of cover didn’t matter much though since the last goon came toward them fast. With the goon closing in, Riley shot. The goon crumpled to the floor, dead.
Movement from the corner of his eye made him shift his gaze to see Nick sliding around the front of the boxes and making a dash for the cell the now dead goon left on a nearby table. Riley stood, gaze scanning the room. A plain, brown door stood off to one side; large metal doors stood on the same wall. The table Riley spied was littered with takeout containers and fast food cups and wrappers. Two sleeping bags rolled out on the dingy gray floor nearby revealed at least a couple of them stayed around the clock. Probably stood guard in pairs. The thought sent an arrow of memory to Riley, and he recalled hearing menthol man mention a fourth guy. Dead goon went to call him. Shit. Who knew how long they had before the man showed up? Next to him, soft beeps spoke of Nick dialing 911 on the cell.
His voice was barely audible when the operator answered. “Officer Riley Jacobs and I have been kidnapped. We are attempting escape.”
The operator’s murmur came back, the rise and fall telling Riley she had questions. Riley grabbed the phone and gave the operator his badge number, told her to trace the call, send backup, then handed it back to Nick.
“They called another man. I don’t know how long we’ll have or who will get here first. Stay here.” Riley squeezed Nick in a quick embrace, then moved closer to the small side door where the guy would likely come in. He took position near some stacked boxes and waited.
The air felt like a weight trying to press them down as minutes passed. Faint sirens reached his ears just as car doors slammed out front. The first gunshot had Riley tensing, but he maintained his position. Shouts, more gunshots. Riley checked Nick. He crouched behind his own set of boxes farther into the cavernous space, face impassive but eyes wide. As abruptly as it began, the noise outside stopped. Moving slowly, Riley made his way over to the door. Halfway there, it flew open, and a brick shithouse stepped in, gun drawn. Riley lowered his own weapon as he felt his muscles go lax, relief to see his partner pouring into him. As Drew’s gaze found Riley, a grin stole over his face. Shaking his head, he lowered his gun and crossed to Riley.
“You can’t even go on a date without getting in trouble? What the hell am I gonna do with you?” Drew pulled Riley into a tight hug, the tremble in his arms revealing more than his casual words.
“I’ve got a few ideas.” Nick waggled his eyebrows as he stepped up next to Riley.
“I leave those to you.” Drew chuckled, then turned back to his partner. “Seriously, are you two okay? What the hell happened?”
“We’re fine, just tired. I really want to go home and take my partner to bed,” Riley replied, his shoulders sagging a bit. Drew smiled and nodded in the direction of the other officers.
“Let me go see what’s going on. But I’m glad you’re okay.”
As soon as Drew walked away, Nick spun to face him. “Partner?” he queried with a lifted eyebrow.
Riley flushed. “Um, yeah. I thought… after… uh,” Riley stammered.
Nick rose up and kissed him softly. “You thought right,” Nick murmured against his lips.
Riley captured his mouth, nibbling on Nick’s lower lip until he moaned, then plunged into his mouth to explore the moist heat. Nick’s growing erection pressed against his own, and he pulled back before they made a spectacle of themselves in front of his fellow officers.
“I love you,” Riley said quietly, needing Nick to understand it hadn’t been a heat of the moment confession. Nick’s grin could have lit up all of Angel Falls on its own.
“I will never get tired of hearing that. I thought I’d never hear those words from you. I love you so much.” Nick leaned into Riley again, content to be anywhere as long as it was with the man he loved.